Door canopy or awning



July 10, 1956 N. ETTEN DOOR CANOPY OR AWNING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 17 1951 July 10, 1956 Filed Feb. 17 1951 N. L. ETTEN DOOR CANOPY OR AWNING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 v *Vmj 25 [Vic/wide L. 77622 DODR CANOPY OR AWNING Nicholas L. Etten, Cedar Falls, Iowa, assignor to Chamberlain Corporation, Waterloo, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa This invention relates to improvements in a door canopy or awning, and more particularly to a canopy construction, simulating an awning, but rigid in character and highly desirable for mounting over a door or the like rather than a window, although the invention may have other uses and purposes as will be apparent to one skilled in the art.

In the past, many and various types of door canopies made of rigid material have been provided, but in every instance of which I am aware the door canopy was of an entirely different design than foldable or fixed awnings made of rigid material associated with the windows of a building, so that the door canopy did not blend with the awning structures. Furthermore, door canopies of this character heretofore known were not sufficiently easily assembled by one man and mounted in place over a door, were not constructed for ease and simplicity in shipping, and in most cases did not provide ventilation and if constructed to provide ventilation were bulky and cumbersome to handle and mount in place.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an important object of the instant invention to provide a door canopy of such construction that it may easily be made to match or blend with awnings used on the associated windows of the building.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a door canopy, preferably made of rigid material such as sheet metal, which may be easily mounted in position as a unit by one man.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a door canopy of relatively rigid material of which the central portion including overlapping louvers or slats is made in initially three separate sections which greatly facilitates packing and shipping of the canopy, and renders the same easy to assemble by the ultimate user.

A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of a door canopy in which the watershed is an integral part of the canopy structure and obviously mounted in place along with the canopy structure in a single operation.

Still another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a louvered or slatted door canopy in which the ends of the slats are completely concealed.

A further desideratum of this invention is the provision of a louver or slat-type door canopy in which each louver or slat is given a crown or upwardly bowed effect to enhance the appearance of the entire structure.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a door canopy made of relatively rigid material embodying a series of transversely extending overlapping slats or louvers, with the lowermost or outermost louver so constructed as to form a front apron for the entire structure.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a slatted or louver-type door canopy in which the slats are so arranged as to provide ventilation moistureproof openings between adjacent slats, the slats being so constructed I-nited States Patent 0 2,753,604 Patented July 10, 1956 as to render a tortuous path for air through the ventilation openings and the exclusion of moisture therefrom.

While some of the more salient features, characteristics and advantages of the instant invention have been above pointed out, others will become apparent from the following disclosures, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a fragmentary pictorial illustration of a door canopy embodying principles of the instant invention shown mounted in operative position on the wall of a building;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line IIII of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan View of the louvered section of the canopy;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary rear elevational View canopy; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view illustrating structural details and taken substantially as indicated by the line V-V of Fig. 2.

As shown on the drawings:

The illustrated embodiment of the instant invention in Figs. 1 and 2 is shown associated with the outer wall 1 of a building directly over a door 2, the canopy being attached to the side of the building above the frame of the door. in this position the canopy efiiectively shelters the door from excessive sunshine, provides a suitable roof in the event of inclement weather, and because of the ventilation characteristics of the canopy does not concentrate hot air adjacent the door. Moreover, the canopy enhances the exterior appearance of the building and may readily be made to match metallic or other rigid type awnings disposed on the windows of the building.

The illustrated form of canopy includes a pair of spaced end panels, generally indicated by numeral 3, and identical in construction except for their allochiral characteristics. Each end panel is substantially triangular in shape with the upper edge portion thereof sloping downwardly and outwardly away from the building, the forward or outermost apex of the triangle being somewhat truncated to improve the appearance of the canopy.

Each end panel embodies an upper downwardly sloping supporting rail in the form of an inwardly opening channel 4 having a depending flange 5 on the underside thereof, the channel 4 projecting outwardly beyond the flange 5 to function as a molding or trim for the entire canopy. A series of bolts 6 are spaced along the flange 5 which are manipulatable by the user of the canopy.

A panel 7, which may be grooved as at 8 for decorative purposes if so desired, is attached along its upper margin to the flange 5 of the channel rail. 4 by means of the bolts 6, but is also riveted to this channel at spaced points as indicated at 9 so as to remain fixed to the flange 5 and not become inaladjusted when the user is manipulating the bolts 6 for other reasons. Along the lower and laterally extending margin of the panel 7 is another supporting rail in the form of an angle 10, the upright flange of which is riveted or equivalently secured to the panel 7. To provide a rear member for the end panel frame, an upright rail in the form of an angle 11 is riveted or equivalently secured to the upright flange of the angle 10 and is connected at its top to the flange 5 of the channel rail 4 by means of one of the bolts 6. It will be noted from the showing in Fig. 2 that the panel 17 is bent around the rear and inwardly extending flange of the angle 11 and is riveted or equivalently secured thereto as indicated at 12.

At the forward or outermost end of the structure, a short vertical extending piece 13 of the same shape and character as the channel rail 4 is disposed in abutment with the end of this channel rail 4, and has its flange of the riveted or equivalently secured to both the lower rail and the panel 7.

Thus it will be seen that each end panel is in and of itself a relatively rigid construction and these two end panelsare capable of supporting the entire canopy in position. To this end, it will be noted that in the upper portion thereof the inner flange of the upright rail 11, and the overlapping portion of the panel 7 are provided with a keyhole slot 14 seen in Fig. 4. This keyhole slot may readily be engaged over a suitable stud 15', attached in any suitable manner to the wall of the building, and the awning thus suspended from that stud, as illustrated in Fig. 2. One man may easily lift the entire assembled canopy into place and engage both keyhole slots with the spaced studs in a ready and easy manner. At the bottom thereof, each upright rail 11 is provided with an inwardly extending lug 16 (Figs. 2 and 4) which is suitably apertured to accommodate a screw or bolt also engaged therethrough into the building wall 1, thus anchoring the canopy at the bottom thereof.

' The central portion of the canopy, as best seen in Fig. 2, is initially three separate sections, generally indicated by numerals 17, 18 and 19. When assembled, however, as seen in Fig. 3, it is impossible to tell from the appear- "ance of the structure that there originally were three separable sections.

The sections are substantially identical in construction, and each comprises a pair of opposed supporting members 20 having a vertically extending portion, and on top of which are transversely extending louver or slat supporting brackets 21 arranged in stepped formation as seen in Fig. 2, each of these brackets extending inside the aforesaid channel rail 4, as clearly seen in Fig. 5. To each of these brackets 21 the central portion of a crowned or upwardly bowed slat 22 is secured by riveting or in equivalent manner as indicated at 23, each step 21 being preferably crowned in keeping with the cross sectional contour of the slats. As seen best in Fig. 2 each slat or louver 22 is provided with a downwardly inclined flange 24 along its outer edge, and an upwardly and inwardly inclined flange 25 along its inner edge. When the louvers are attached to their respective brackets 21, the downwardly extending flange 24 of one louver is in loose interlocking or overlapping relationship with the upwardly extending flange 25 on the rear edge of an adjacent louver or slat in such a manner as to preclude moisture passing through the space between the flanges 24 and 25, but leaving an opening 26 therethrough or more specifically a tortuous passage 26 for air so that the canopy is adequately ventilated. However, such opening as is evident from the showing in Figs. 1 and 3 is not noticeable to the eye of an observer.

Should the canopy be relatively wide it may be desirable to have another additional support or bar attached to the slats in the intermediate region thereof, just to insure stability. To this end, I have indicated in Fig. 1 in dotted lines such a support 27 associated with each of the initially separate sections.

The lowermost section 17 is provided with a terminal louver or slat 28, as seen best in Figs. 1 and 2, which is secured to the corresponding slat support in the manner above outlined. However, this particular 'slat 28 has a depending forward portion 29 which forms an ornamental skirt across the front of the canopy.

It will be noted that each of the central sections 17, 18 and 19 may readily be connected to the end panels of the canopy by the user, it being a simple expedient to connect each section to the flange 5 on the channel rail 4 by means of a pair of the aforesaid bolts 6. When so mounted, the entire canopy is in the form of a rigid structure readily attachable to the wall of the building over the door in the manner above outlined.

In order to prevent leakage between the building wall and the canopy a watershed 30 is provided extending across the entire width of the canopy. As seen best in Fig. 2, this watershed is attached directly to the upwardly inclined flange 25 of the topmost louver or slat in the upper section 19 by riveting or in an equivalent manner as indicated .at 31. The upper margin of the watershed is also turned inwardly as at 32 so as to provide an edgewise engagement with the wall of the building, eflectively preventing any leakage between the wall and the canopy.

The user may receive the canopy in knockdown condition, that is with the end panels and three center sections separated. It is a simple expedient for the user to mount the retaining bolts 15 in the building wall, then assemble the canopy with the aid of the bolts 6, then hang the entire structure on the retaining bolts 15, after which the lower portion of the canopy may be secured to the wall by the bolts or screws 16. If so desired, the watershed may also be anchored tightly against the wall at intervals therealong by suitable screws 33, any number of such screws deemed necessary being used. It will be especially noted that when the canopy is assembled, the ends of the slats or louvers are hidden within the channel rails 4-4 so that these rails form an ornamental molding or border for the canopy.

The entire structure is preferably made of stamped sheet metal, sheet aluminum being highly satisfactory for the purpose, and the surfaces of the metal may be covered with paint, enamel, or any equivalent substance in whatever color combinations are desired. Thus, the entire structure is economical, pleasing in appearance, and high- 1y durable.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a canopy, a pair of transversely spaced downwardly inclined and inwardly opening channel rails each having a flange portion depending from the lower inner edge thereof, a plurality of slats extending laterally between said channel rails with the ends of said slats disposed and concealed within said channel rails, and a pair of generally triangular sheet metal end panels having upper inclined edge portions affixed against said depending flange portions of said channel rails.

2. In a canopy, a pair of transversely spaced downwardly inclined and inwardly opening channel rails each having a flange portion depending from the lower inner edge thereof, a pair of members secured to the inner faces of said depending flange portions, a plurality of slats secured to said members with the ends thereof disposed and concealed within said channel rails, and a pair of generally triangular sheet metal end panels having upper inclined edge portions affixed against the outer faces of said depending flange portions of said channel rails.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,926,609 Bauschard Sept. 12, 1933 2,225,011 Jones Dec. 17, 1940 2,244,012 Johnson June 3, 1941 2,389,970 Ferguson Nov. 27, 1945 2,458,619 McKinley Jan. 11, 1949 2,471,962 Jones May 31, 1949 2,553,123 Whiteside May 15, 1951 2,565,545 Card Aug. 28, 1951 2,572,821 Skaggs Oct. 23, 1951 2,577,482 Ray Dec. 4, 1951 2,595,612 Snider et a1. May 6, 1952 2,657,437 Moser Nov. 3, 1959 

